Chapter 8: The Showdown
1284 Words
Jason's words seemed to awaken everyone, including Zachary.
Indeed, the Liar's odds of winning were too great.
Zachary furrowed his brow, wondering why his chances of winning were so high.
Lying to a group of strangers who didn’t know him and couldn’t understand him, it would be hard for anyone to see through a casual lie.
Could a false name really cost eight lives?
Or was it that the person who drew the “Liar” card was the chosen one, making this an inherently unfair game?
“No, wait…” Zachary thought to himself. “If simply drawing a card could guarantee survival, why not write ‘Live’ and ‘Die’ directly on the cards? That would make achieving the goal much easier. Otherwise, what’s the point of this hour-long game?”
A deep sense of dissonance began to spread within him.
Zachary replayed every word the Goat Mask had said in his mind.
Could it be…?
“Hey, it’s your turn,” Jason said, patting Zachary’s shoulder.
Snapped back to reality, Zachary noticed everyone was looking at him with unusual expressions.
At this point, it was too late to overthink it; otherwise, he would only appear more suspicious.
He took a deep breath and restructured his thoughts.
The phrase “My name is Li Ming, and I’m from Shandong” echoed in his mind…
But he absolutely couldn’t use that answer now. If he wanted to find a “solution” to this game, he would have to take a gamble.
Zachary opened his eyes and addressed the crowd. “Everyone, my name is Zachary Qian. I’m from Shandong, and I’m a professional con artist.”
“A con artist?”
The crowd gasped as they heard the first part of Zachary’s statement. After all, the role of “con artist” appeared in many people’s stories.
This con artist connected their stories in a subtle way.
Ironically, they had to determine whether a “con artist” was telling the truth.
“Before coming here, I was figuring out how to clean the two million I had in my hands.”
“In the end, I managed to secure one hundred and forty thousand. That was the most cost-effective method I could come up with.”
“But on my way back with the money, I suddenly encountered an earthquake. As I reached my doorstep, I saw my house shaking violently.”
“Logically, one should never enter a building during such events, as the risk of collapse is imminent. But I was worried about the people inside and had no choice but to rush in.”
“Sure enough, as I entered the room, the porch collapsed, and I was trapped and lost consciousness.”
Zachary spoke with a calm tone, wrapping up his story in just a few sentences, but everyone was watching him warily.
He knew he was taking a significant risk, but this was the only way to validate his thoughts.
If the Goat Mask spoke now, it would confirm that his deductions were spot on.
Just as Zachary expected, the Goat Mask slowly stepped forward and said to everyone, “Very well, everyone has finished telling their stories. Next, you will have twenty minutes for open discussion. After twenty minutes, each of you must write a name on the white paper in front of you.”
“Just as I thought!” Zachary's eyebrows raised. “There really is a twenty-minute discussion time!
This explains everything!
Everyone began to feel flustered; after all, only twenty minutes remained to determine their fates.
Jason and Officer Li both wanted to vote for each other. Perhaps due to their professions, the two were filled with hostility.
Dr. Zhao began questioning writer Han Yimo, as his story seemed entirely unrelated to everyone else’s.
Lawyer Zhang Chenzhe and Xiao Ran appeared to be skeptical of Zachary, while Lin Qing, Han Yimo, and Sweet were still hesitating.
According to the surface rules, the game of “Liar” was poised to win.
Because the votes were not unanimous.
The rules clearly stated that only if everyone identified the Liar could the eight of them survive together.
Zachary refrained from participating in any discussions, quietly closing his eyes.
Countless clues swirled in his mind.
The Goat Mask said, “Among the storytellers, there is only one Liar.”
The Goat Mask also said, “The rules are absolute.”
The Goat Mask mentioned, “Everyone has been asleep for twelve hours.”
Zachary opened his eyes; he just needed one last piece of information, and this “problem” could be solved.
But where was that information?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
The intersecting lines on the walls and floor snapped him back to reality. He glanced at the clock on the table; it was nearly 1 PM.
“Now I see…” Zachary's eyes widened. “How close... I’m clearly a con artist but almost got deceived by you all.”
The crowd seemed to sense Zachary's change. This con artist had said little from the start, leaving everyone in the dark about his thoughts.
“Hey, can I have another piece of paper?” Zachary asked the Goat Mask.
The Goat Mask seemed visibly startled by the question and tentatively replied, “You… want another piece of paper?”
“Yes,” Zachary nodded. “I need a draft paper.”
After a moment of silence, the Goat Mask pulled another sheet from his suit pocket and handed it to Zachary.
Zachary accepted it without hesitation and began to calculate.
He counted the large squares on the walls; there were nine in total, while there were sixteen squares on the floor and ceiling.
“If I’m not mistaken…” Zachary quickly wrote something down. “The squares are one per square meter, meaning we are currently in a room that is three meters high and four meters in both length and width…”
“Four times four times three… that’s forty-eight cubic meters.”
Zachary's hand trembled slightly. “Not enough… completely insufficient…”
The crowd stared at Zachary in confusion. This was clearly a matter of identifying who was lying, yet he was solving math problems.
He began to list many vertical calculations, ultimately arriving at the figures “54.6” and “49.14.”
Upon seeing these two numbers, Zachary's face went pale, as if he was trying to come to terms with something.
If his deductions were entirely correct, the current situation was truly terrifying.
His eyes flickered, lost in thought far beyond the immediate surroundings.
The crowd's debate began to quiet down.
This man had not participated in any discussions, yet he had been calculating something. Had he truly found the “answer” to this problem?
After a long pause, he raised his head and looked at everyone.
His expression was filled with fear, hesitation, doubt, and confusion.
“Everyone,” Zachary cleared his throat and said quietly, “I didn’t initially intend to save you, but if you choose wrong, I’ll die too. I absolutely cannot die here. Someone is waiting for me outside, so I must find a way to escape.
I can only announce my answer now, and I hope you’ll listen carefully.”
“Hey, what does ‘answer’ mean?” Jason, sitting closest to Zachary, blinked in surprise. “Do you know who the Liar is?”
Zachary didn’t answer. Instead, he reached for his “identity card” and slowly revealed it to the crowd.
“This is the identity I drew.”
Everyone focused intently, and the words “LIAR” on the card stood out starkly.
- Writer
